Rain Racing

How to handle a rainy race morning

As runners, we take pride in the fact that we compete regardless of the weather --rain or shine or anything else that Mother Nature throws our way. However, racing in cold and rainy conditions can be debilitating and dangerous. Taking some precautions can mean the difference between a fast time and a detour to the medical tent.

Many events require runners to arrive at the starting area an hour or more in advance of race time but lack the facilities to provide shelter from the rain. That can leave you wet and cold before the race begins -- a recipe for tight, injury-prone muscles, and poor performance.

Your goal should be to try to start the race relatively dry. Carrying your race clothing and shoes to your starting corral in a large plastic bag instead of wearing it could be a key step. If you wear a good waterproof jacket and pants, you may be able to get by with just a change of shoes and socks. Either way, take advantage of a porta-john or any other discrete location to shed wet layers and don your racing clothes a few minutes before the start.

Remember to leave just enough time to check your bag, or hand it off to someone who can take it to the finish. At a smaller race, or one with a start and finish close to each other, it may be as simple as dropping extra gear in a car or a secure building a few minutes before the start.

For situations where you're stuck at the starting line for 20 minutes or more prior to the start with no last-minute opportunity to drop extra clothing, consider wearing an old set of rainproof warm-ups (or at least an old wind jacket with layers of old long-sleeve shirts) that you can toss off moments before the start. While it may be tough to throw away perfectly good clothing, you can take heart in the fact that many races now collect that stuff and donate it to those in need. Some runners prefer to use a trash bag with a head-hole cut in the end -- an economical solution that can work wonders at keeping you dry and warm in those final minutes or even through the first mile of the race.

Avoid Chafing and Blisters

While racing in a steady rain can be quite refreshing and even benefi cial if the temperatures are above 60 degrees, other problems can sneak up on you -- most notably chafing caused from wet clothing rubbing against your skin. It might be just a minor distraction at first, but before long it can become painful and debilitating, possibly forcing you to alter your stride in an effort to minimize the damage. By the end of the race, that spot on your inner thigh, underarm, or nipple is bright red and oozing blood.

Apply BodyGlide, Vaseline, ASICS Chafe Free, BlisterShield or other anti-chafing products to any potential problem areas prior to running, and consider carrying a small tube with you on the run if you're especially prone to such maladies. Wet feet tend to blister more than dry ones, so be sure to hit those potential hot spots on the feet as well: between the toes, the heel, and anywhere else on your feet that you tend to blister.

Stay Warm

While adverse weather can bring dangerous conditions for runners, a more insidious form of danger comes in the form of cold, wet days that can cause hypothermia and disorientation. Racing in rainy, windy and chilly conditions (under 50 degrees F) can lead to hypothermia, a condition in which the body's core temperature drops below its 98.6-degree norm. Typically, it occurs much more frequently in longer races such as marathons and ultras because of the longer exposure to the elements and the body's lower heat output in those events.

In wet, cool conditions, runners should err on the side of overdressing, preferably utilizing items that can easily be removed during a race such as gloves, a thermal hat and arm warmers. Covering legs in an oil-based product such as Vaseline or olive oil can also help the body retain heat.

On particularly chilly days, a body-hugging, breathable layer (traditional running tights or compression apparel) might be necessary to maintain a normal body temperature. Starting the race with another layer on top may even be necessary in the worst of conditions. Having an extra set of clothes available on the course is standard practice for ultra runners. For runners in moderately long races like half marathons and marathons, the same practice can be a good precaution against hypothermia.

Mental Tips for the Rain

Over the last eight years, I have competed in dozens of high-level competitions, including many USATF championship races and most of the top marathons in the country. I have noticed that some runners rise to the top regardless of the conditions, whereas others frequently come up short and find endless reasons why today was not their day.

How do those champions do it? What sets them apart from the equally talented competitors who miss the mark more often than they hit it? A sound mental approach is probably the most important piece of that equation. Here are a few practices of those who consistently perform their best, even in the worst of conditions.

Adjust Your Expectations: Whether you are an elite runner or an average Joe, challenging weather can push goal times out of reach. Remaining focused on time in conditions that are not conducive to fast running can be counterproductive. Attempting to run the same pace into a 20 mph headwind as you planned to run under ideal conditions is a fool's errand, and can only lead to a disastrous and disappointing race. Rather than fighting nature, adjust your expectations. It's much easier to stay positive in tough conditions if you have a reasonable goal in mind going into the race.

Get Out and Compete: Often, the most successful runners in less than ideal conditions are those who set aside time goals entirely, and focus on competing against those around them. Whether you are trying to win the race, place in your age division, or simply win the "race within the race" with whoever is in your pack, focus on competing to the best of your ability. Use your fellow runners as motivation and inspiration. When someone makes a move, answer it. When you feel good, push the pace and try to move up to the next pack.

Train Through All Conditions: Part of the reason elite runners can race so successfully in all conditions is that they train through all conditions. Twice-daily running throughout the year guarantees that elite runners have been through plenty of training sessions in lousy weather. So when the gun goes off and it's pouring, you can bet that the men and women up front have run through similar conditions before. If they seem nonplussed by a mid-race downpour, it's because they were seasoned by the 10-mile tempo run they did in a thunderstorm two weeks earlier.

Stay Relaxed: Cold rain, strong winds, and similar environmental unpleasantness often create a great deal of tension in the body. Watch people scurry along the street on a particularly nasty day for an illustration of this. Their shoulders are pulled up to their ears, their jaws are clenched and they move in a herky-jerky manner.

In contrast, watch the footage of Robert Cheruiyot running the 2007 Boston Marathon during a nor'easter that nearly caused the race to be cancelled. I ran in the lead pack of that race, shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheruiyot, the defending champ, and many of the other top challengers. While I and others looked nervously around, and matched everyone stride for stride, Cheruiyot seemed to float along, as if he were just doing a warm-up jog in perfect conditions.

At the appointed time, the lanky Kenyan pulled his long-sleeve shirt over his head, revealing the singlet beneath. Apparently, the race was on. Calmly, fluidly, Cheruiyot dropped the pace down, applying all of that energy conserved over the first half of the race to secure yet another Boston Marathon victory.

Chris Lundstrom runs for Team USA Minnesota and is the distance running coach for St. Paul Como Park High School.